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Neither history nor praxis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 July 2003

RAYMOND GEUSS
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy, University of Cambridge, Sidgwick Avenue, Cambridge CB3 9DA, UK.

Abstract

John Rawls construed the Theory of Justice as central to political philosophy, and defended a series of purportedly egalitarian versions of such a theory. This essay points out that Rawls' philosophy became increasingly influential during precisely that period in recent history – the last quarter of the 20th century – in which global inequality increased most dramatically, and explores some possible explanations of this peculiar fact. It concludes by arguing that methodological defects make his approach fundamentally misguided: early versions of his theory are too abstract to be of relevance to understanding politics or as guides to action, and later ones too parochial.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© Academia Europaea 2003

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